Auto Exects say Car of the Future wont be cheap

Tom W. Butts > wrote in
:

> On Mon, 6 Dec 2010 23:23:56 +0000 (UTC), Tegger >
> wrote:
>
>
>>
>>And hey, have you heard that Ray LaHood now wants to put backup
>>cameras in all new cars? It's estimated to cost about $2-billion, and
>>to save about 100 lives a year. That's only $20,000,000 per life
>>saved. Such a deal!
>
>
> Don't even get me going on this. Why can't they just make cars that
> you can see out of?
>



Because side-intrusion crash regulations -- in addition to side-curtain
airbags -- mandate that all the pillars be as thick as tree-trunks, and the
cowl and windowsills should come up to your nose.

I remember back when Consumer Reports would routinely complain about thick
pillars, especially the C-pillars, on account of the lousy visibility that
resulted. But now that fat pillars are a "safety" feature, CR seems to be
A-OK with them.

--
Tegger